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The Copa America 2024 is set to kick off on June 20, with Argentina coming into the tournament as the favorites to defend their crown.
Buoyed by their 2022 FIFA World Cup win in Qatar, La Albiceleste will be looking to add a record 16th South American championship to their trophy cabinet. They are currently tied with Uruguay on 15 titles each.
Lionel Messi will lead the side in the tournament, which will be held in the United States. In the previous edition, Messi won his first major international trophy as Argentina beat hosts Brazil in the final at the iconic Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
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La Albiceleste have been drawn in Group A along with Chile, Peru and Canada. They will play the tournament opener on June 20 against Canada at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
While Argentina’s squad looks pretty similar to the World Cup-winning one, there have been a few notable omissions this time around. On that note, here are five of the best Argentine players that have failed to make the Copa America 2024 squad.
5 best Argentina players left out of Copa America 2024 squad
5. Thiago Almada
Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada has been touted as the next big thing in Argentine football for some time now. Almada is coming off the back of a successful 2023, registering 11 goals and 19 assists in the MLS regular season, and was named in the MLS Best XI for 2023.
Almada was part of Argentina’s squad that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, he has been named in La Albiceleste’s squad for the Paris Olympics. The football competition is scheduled to be held in July, which is why Almada has not been included in the Copa America squad.
At 23, Almada still has the best years of his footballing career ahead of him, and will likely continue to make waves in the years to come.
4. Marcos Senesi
Marcos Senesi is coming off the back of a decent season in the Premier League with Bournemouth. The 27-year-old centre back helped the Cherries secure a 12th-place finish, and was among the top performers in his side.
Senesi helped keep five clean sheets last season and was productive at the other end of the pitch as well, registering four goals and five assists in 31 league appearances. Being of Italian origin, he received a call up to both the Italy and Argentina national teams ahead of the inaugural Finalissima between the two nations in June, 2022.
Senesi chose to represent the country of his birth and made his debut that month in a friendly against Estonia.
3. Juan Foyth
Villarreal defender Juan Foyth has had an injury-plagued 2023-24 season. The 26-year-old made just 16 appearances for the Yellow Submarines across competitions last season, contributing a goal and an assist.
Foyth suffered a shoulder injury in December, 2023 which kept him out for the rest of the season. As such, his selection for this year’s Copa America squad was not likely.
2. Alejandro “Papu” Gomez
Alejandro “Papu” Gomez was part of Argentina’s squads that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2021 Copa America.
In October last year, he was handed a two-year ban for doping. The 35-year-old tested positive for the banned substance terbutaline, which he took in October, 2022 ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. Gomez said that he took a cough syrup from his son, through which he got the banned substance in his system.
The former Sevilla winger was an integral member of the 2021 Copa America-winning team, scoring in the group stage wins against Paraguay and Bolivia. He also made two appearances in the World Cup.
1. Paulo Dybala
The biggest omission from this year’s Copa America squad, Paulo Dybala is coming off the back of an impressive campaign with Roma. The 30-year-old contributed 16 goals and 10 assists across competitions last season as Roma narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification.
Dybala said that the news of his exclusion was a big blow. Speaking to The Athletic, he said:
“I was confident about making the squad, so it was a very tough blow for me to take because being part of the national team is one of the best things ever. But I also understand that it’s hard for our coach to choose. I respect his decision. I’ve got a great relationship with him and he has certainly chosen the best for the team.”
